Ttansen



" E. LHANSEN.

PL ANT FOB UTILIZING WAVE POWER.

APPLICATION FILED 11116.16, l9l8.

Patented Sept 9, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

EDWARD :roaoirm HANSEN, or rnxn LAIDEPLADS, DENMARK.

PLANT FOR UTILIZING WAVE-POWER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

Application filed August 16, 1918. Serial No. 250,107.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD jJoAoI-IIM HANSEN, a subject of the King ofDenmark, residing at Faxe Ladeplads, in the King dom of Denmark, haveinvented new and useful Improvementsin Plants for-UtilizingWave-Power,of which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to a plantforutilizi11g'wavepower by transmittingthe power of the rising and falling of waves, especially coast-waves, bymeans of wholly or partially immersed elements disposed the one afterthe other, farther and farther out from the shore, the motion of theseelements being transformed to a rotating movement of a shaft in commonfor all the said elements.

The object of the invention is to make the plant economical, reliable inrun, and of great capacity. i l 1 To this end, the elements are disposedand connected with relation to one another in such a way that the seriesof all the elements constitute a connected chain of elements, which areheld in place by means of a simple anchor or the like, with rope orchain, lying farther out. Thus the stationary building consisting ofpiles, beams, etc., can be reduced to a minimum, as it is not necessarya to have permanent constructions for mountin or controlling theseparate elements, but

on y a lighter construction is required for upporting thepower-transm1tt1ng members,

pulleys, shafts, etc, which work undisturbed above the waves and havebutsmall bulk.

Furthermore, the plant is extended so as a to include not only a singlerow of the wholly or partially immersed elements, but

there are anchored, at a certain distance ular carpet of thesepower-receiving elements, which rock freely up and down with the motionof thewaves, under the light superstructure for the power-transmittingmembers, which superstructure rests on comparatively few piles. Owing tothe great number of the constantly working elements,

the motive power transferred to the engine,

6. g. a dynamo will be perfectly even, and

a the power will be great. a

,The invention is set forth in the drawing,

in which Figure 11 is adiagram ofpart of the aforesaid carpet ofanchoredrows of elements, and Figs. 2, 3, and 4:, on a larger scale,show, by way of example, one form of construction of a smaller part ofthe plant, said figures being a top view, a side view, and an end view,respectively. a

A number of piles 5 drivendown into the bottom of the sea in rows carrya superstructure consisting of beams 6 which run at right angles to thecoast and other beams 7, which run parallel with the coast. On the beams7 there are secured shafts 8, on which, at certam intervals, there aredisposed differential pulleys, or drums. From every one of the greatpulleys 9 a traction member 10. is carrled to a smaller pulley 11,ending with a weight 12. The various pulleys 11 .aredis' posed onshafts13whichlare parallel with the shafts 8 but rotatably journaled on thebeams 7. The disposition of the pulleys 11 on each shaft 13 issuch thatthey run free in one direction but are coupled to the shaft when turnedin the other direction. As the means for this purpose are well-known inmany forms of construction, they are not shown in the drawing.

From each of the small pulleys 14: of the differential pulleys atraction member 15 is passed down to each of the elements wholly orpartially immersed in the water. These elements may, on the plane,preferably have the shape of a rhomb, a boat, or the like, and mayconsist of a water-tight frame 16 open at the bottom and withwater-tight top 17. The EBlOYl'lGlllZS may, however, also have anothershape. Thus, 6. 9. they may be quite, hollow bodies which are chargedwith Water, a weight, or the like, which will hennderstood without anyexplanation.

of which depends upon the height of the wave, and the pulley may even begiven a whole revolution. The large pulley 9 is turned through the sameangle, and the traction-member 10 turns the smaller pulley 11 on theshaft 13 and thereby also this shaft through a correspondingly greaterangle, which may perhaps represent two or more complete revolutions,while the weight 12 is simultaneously lifted. This process ofalternately turning the pulleys 14 in the free-run and workingdirections passes along the whole series of elements, e. g. in a 1direction from rightto left in Figs-2 and 3,

as each wave rolls along the whole row of elements.

Inthe form of construction of the plant shaft, a support for said shaftand said here shown there is supposed to be but one pile -5 toeaeh tenelements, and each shaft 1 3 is supposed to be in common for two rows ofelements. Accordingly, the traction-members 10, which belong to the onerow of elements, are passed over their pulleys 11 in a directionopposite to that in which the tiaction-in'enibers 10, for the other rowof elements, are passed over their pulleys 11; or the two sets oftraction-members arepassed in opposite directions around thedifferential pulleys; but, under all circumstances, so that the elementsin the two rows, when they sink with a falling wave,

by means of the traction-members 10 and 15 tune the colrnmon shaft inthe same direction, thus mutually counteracting each others detrimentalcross strains on the shaft.

The elements in each row are connected with a piece of chain 18 or otherjointed and easily movable connection, so that each row of elements willform a mechanically connected chain of elements, along which a wave maypass. This chain is, by means of a rope 19, or the like, (Fig. 1),connected withan anchor 20, so that the chain rides on this anchor. Asthe coast-waves are always at right angles to the coast, or practicallyso, each row of elements will automatically maintain its desireddirection at right angles to the coast. Small deviations from thedesired normal position of the different elements, owing to theirswaying from one side to the other, will have no perceptible effect onthe transmission of power to the shaft 13, as the sum of thesedeviations, for each row of elements or double row of elements, willpractically be equal to zero.

In order to facilitate the mounting of the shafts 13, each of these mayconsist of sections jointed by means ofsuitable couplings 21 between thedifferent sections as shown in Fig. 2. Then it will not be necessary tomaintain an accurately coaxial position of the different sections oftheshaft throughout its entire length.

The different shafts 13 in the plant may, by means of rope or chaintraction, or the like, be connected with each other and with the engine,which may advantageously be placed in the center of the plant. Asarrangements of this kind may be understood without any specialexplanation and maybe accomplished in many different ways, they are notshown in the drawing.

Iclaim: 1 1. Aplant for utilizing wave-power, comprising a series ofelements immersed in the water, a shaft disposed above the. ele ments,means for transforming the motion of the elements to a rotating motionof the immersed in the water, shafts disposedabove said elements, meansfor transforming the motion of the elements into rotating motion of theshafts, a support for said shafts and said means, said elements in eachrow being, among themselves, movably connected toform a continuouschain, all chains being anchored and forming a freely undulating networkon the water.

3. A plant for utilizing wave-power, comprising a series of elementsimmersed in the water, a shaftdisposed above said elements, means fortransforming the motion of said elements into rotating motion of theshaft, a support for said shaft and said means,the said elements being,among themselves, movably connected to form a continuous chain which isanchored, and said means embracing differential pulleys.

4. A plant for utilizing wave-power, comprising a series of elementsimmersed in the water, a shaft disposed above said elements, means'fortransforming the motion of said'e'lements into rotation motion of theshaft, a support for said shaft and said means, said elements being,among themselves, movably connected to form a continuous chain, which isanchored, and said shaft being jointed.

5. A plant prising a number of rows of elements imanchored and forming afreely undulating lnersed in the Water, shafts disposed above network onthe Water, and said support 10 said elen'ients, means for transformingthe having piles disposed at intervals in this motion of said elementsinto rotation motion carpet.

of the shafts, a support for said shafts and n tes imony hereof I haveSigned my said means, said elements in each series be- 111M116 t0 h PB wIO iing, among themselves, movably connected to form a continuous chain,all chains being EDWARD J OACHIM HANSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Iatenta, Washington, D. 0.

